2023 Chevrolet Blazer vs 2024 Toyota Sequoia

The Chevrolet Blazer is one of the oldest SUV nameplates on the market, and while the current version might disappoint fans of the original, it’s very much on-trend with modern times.

Chevy launched the Blazer as truck-based off-roader, starting with the original K5 Blazer, and following that it up with a smaller S-10 Blazer based on its compact pickup truck. The Blazer was shelved in the early 2000s, then revived for the 2019 model year as a car-based crossover SUV, eschewing ruggedness for greater efficiency and on-road refinement in a shift that reflected the utility-vehicle market as a whole.

The General Motors decision not to go all-in on nostalgia with a new off-road Blazer might seem questionable in the wake of the revived Ford Bronco, but the market for two-row midsize crossovers like the modern Blazer is even stronger, and it's filled with rival offerings like the Ford Edge, Honda Passport, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Murano, Toyota Venza, and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

For 2023, notable changes include a new 10-inch touchscreen display and available wireless charging for all trim levels, some styling changes, and new wheel designs and colour options. In Canada, the lineup consists of LT, True North, Premier, and RS trim levels (we checked out a Blazer RS for this review). A Chevy Blazer EV is also on the way for the 2024 model year, but this will be a completely different vehicle based on GM’s Ultium EV component set.

The Toyota Sequoia gained a standard hybrid powertrain when it entered its third generation, just last year. While the tech updates were widely celebrated and the facelift considered unobjectionable even by its harshest critics, the move to hybrid power proved to be something of a mixed bag. Increased towing and hauling power bolstered the obvious advantage of improved fuel economy, but impact was somewhat dampened by the reduction in cargo and third-row space to accommodate the new battery.

Verdict: The Sequoia may not be the most capable full-size SUV in the segment, and it’s certainly not the most spacious. It is, however, the only hybrid in its class, and it offers a blend of seating capacity, towing power, and fuel efficiency you won’t find elsewhere—at least, not if you don’t want to go diesel.